There are very few things that annoy me more than teams on The Amazing Race standing around arguing instead of racing. I don't know if it's just me, but this season it seems some of them started way too early and way too nastily. You'd think that after 11 seasons, applicants would realize that the stress of the Race is not an atmosphere conductive to repairing or strengthening a relationship.

Last night, I saw just why Ronald and Christina have a strained relationship. The way he condescended to her and denigrated her was obnoxious. Ronald wins Ass of the Week.

He started almost immediately riding her. Even the lady ministers made a comment about his behavior. I don't know if it's a cultural thing, but he constantly belittles her. At the Dublin airport, he made a comment about being in his professional mode and his philosophy of being polite. He actually took it upon himself to berate Nicolas about being abusive and rude. Doesn't he listen to how he talks to his daughter?

He told her that it was her decision at the Detour, yet when she made a decision, he questioned and dogged her about it the entire time they were making their way to the bikes. She tried to tell him that she needed him to be confident and he paid lip service. The whole time they looked for the bikes he made nasty comments to her and when he screwed up, he blamed her. I so wanted to smack him.

When they were waiting for the bus, he was still berating her. He told her that she needed to be more decisive, that he let her loose on this one and that she disappointed him. What kind of father tells his daughter that she disappoints him because of a stupid race? She's in tears and the team of sisters watch him in amazement.

When he finally allows her to speak, she tells him how he makes her feel. She told him that it felt like punch after punch after punch. It made my heart hurt to hear her tell him that. She told him that he needs to change the constant berating of her and he comes back with the old "he's too old to change easily" excuse.

At the Roadblock, he lectured her the entire time she was trying to do the mud vault. At one point she eyed that pole like she wanted to hurt him with it, and I was cheering her on. Once she completed it, he said that he could have done better. And, no, he wasn't done. When he was on the bicycle to ride them to the pitstop, he told her that she needed to lose some weight. I think there was some Divine Intervention there because right after that he fell on the bike and took a "crotch buster." I applauded.

At the pitstop, he did admit that he has become like Archie Bunker and she took him to task and told him that you should treat your family like gold. He agreed, but will any of this sink in? I hope so, for her sake. They were next to last this leg. I almost wanted them to come in last. I'm cheering her on, but not him. I just know that he will place all the blame on her.